The academy encourages new people into spa and wellbeing.
QHotels Collection has a new Spa Academy, which will create positions across the group.
It will offer training and qualifications for spa, beauty and wellbeing practitioners.
Sarah Abercrombie is the motivation behind the drive. She said: “I wanted to create an Academy that would encourage new people in to Spa and Wellbeing and fast track them in to a professional qualification.
"I wanted to create a system that would offer personal development and training to more certification for existing practitioners.”
Two years on, and despite the pandemic, Sarah and the team at QHotels Collection will launched the programme fully on November 1.
Apprenticeships
Ten newly created apprenticeships have been created for industry newcomers.
They will have intensive training in a partnership with Elemis and the IBHA
(International Beauty and Holistic Academy).
The unique training for The QHotels Collection Spa Academy will be under a certified
wellbeing and holistic therapy qualification recognised in the industry.
“We want to bring new people in to this very important sector, especially at this time,”
said Sarah.
“We are starting with a small group of ten but we see that this programme will very quickly escalate so that we can 'grow our own' professionals for our group and for them to enjoy a fabulous career in beauty therapy for their personal development and their futures.”
Existing employees
In addition, The QHotels Collection Spa Academy will help those already working in
the industry to gain more professional qualifications which will be recognised in the
UK and abroad.
Each member of the spa team will have a personalised development pathway programme to help them become experts in wellness, treatments and holistic therapies.
Each individual will also be encouraged to explore their own wellbeing as part of the training.
“It is important that everyone on this unique programme is encouraged to explore
and discover new ways to work on both a personal plan to encourage wellbeing
management but also to understand more fully the needs of guests at the hotel,” said
Julie Speed, Director of the IBHA.
“We have over 35 years of producing quality training and mentoring systems and the
best Spa professionals in the country today. And we are delighted to have a unique
plan in place for the training of The QHotels Collection Spa team.”
The group are planning for beginners, improvers and Level 2 practitioners to pass through the training programme from now and during 2022. They plan to expand the level of training and qualifications in the coming years.
Elemis Head of UK Spa and Salon, Sarah Bacon said: “This is such an exciting partnership for us.
"We are providing a unique and dynamic personal career pathway development especially for The QHotels Collection Spa team.
"But this also means a unique experience for hotel guests. We view this as three fabulous British brands coming together to benefit spa enthusiasts be they starters, professionals and those enjoying the expert treatments, to improve the industry and ultimately benefit the lives of both practitioner and consumer.”
Those in the spa academy will receive remuneration above the norm and be encouraged to progress to higher levels and a higher pay grade within a 20-month training cycle.
Written by Levitha Biji
Levitha is a broadcast journalism graduate, currently studying MA International Media and Communication Studies at the University of Nottingham. Having lived in three countries and being fluent in three languages, she's passionate about global journalism. She's recently finished an internship with Niche Magazine and also runs her own blog, Levitha Mariam.
